Li and the Fight card
by Amalthea
Summary: ok, I'm not all that great at these things... the final clow cards wantto be changed, but they run amock and Li pays the price. Will Sakura help him in time? Or will it be too late. bit of violence at first, read the Authors notes, they're important
1. The cards are restless

Okay, I started this before the end of series 2… and then missed the last to episodes. Damn power out!… sorry… well, anyway, even if you saw some of these cards changed, for the benefit of the story, pretend that you didn't ok J okay

I don't own Card Captor Sakura and her friends… I'm not entirely sure who does come to think of it… but they're not mine, I'm just borrowing them for a while, they will be returned in the same condition hee hee.

I've used the American/ English names because I find them easier to type… deal with it J 

Not sure if I'll make this S+S but I just have to say one thing. LI IS SO CUTE!!! I mean… apart from the fact that he's 10 or 11… and of course the more important fact that he is a cartoon character… bit like when you hear guys talking about Sailor Venus and think, dude, she's not real!

Umm… well, enough about me, read the story and review… wether you like or hate it… sorry, but this is just something that I do with all my favourite characters for some reason. Enjoy J 

Li groaned as he lay on the ground, half covered with snow. Cursing his predicament, he wondered why what exactly had come to pass had been. It was all just a blur to him now, as was everything he was looking at. He's long ago stopped shivering from the cold and the wet, his robes clinging to him due to the fact that they were wet, both from the snow, the rain and from his own blood. He struggled to stay awake, knowing that he would surely die if he passed out, in the open. But it was a losing battle, much as Li would hate to admit it. As the darkness reclaimed him, he called out a name, in the vain hope that someone would hear him.

"Sakura…"

Just a week after Tori and Yue had shared their magic for Yue's sake; Sakura and her school friends were sitting in class on a normal Friday afternoon. Li was glaring at the back of Eli's head as they drew pictures for art. The free choice picture was just what a class of 11-year-olds needed for the afternoon. 

"Hey Sakura, what do you think of this for your next costume?" Madisons asked, showing Sakura a dress that looked like the fight card crossed with the storm card, only pink. Sakura smiled and laughed… more embarrassed than anything at the time. 

"Hey Madison, do you want to go to the park after school?" Sakura asked as Madison started on a new costume. Madison nodded, smiling so Sakura turned to Li, who was still drawing. It was a very good picture. 

"Hey Li, Madison and I are going to the park after school, you wanna come?" 

Li nodded, not looking up. Sakura watched him for a minute, surprised that he was so focused for a change. Neither saw that Eli was looking at Li for a minute either, pleased to note that he was finally focusing his energy… even if it was just on a picture.

"Hey Li… what are you drawing?" Sakura asked innocently. Li stopped and looked at his picture for a moment, shaking his head as if he was coming out of a daze. 

"I'm not sure," Li said, confused with his drawing. Sakura took it and turned it to look at the picture properly. It was something that looked like Kero… but wasn't Kero either. It was again a big cat but it wasn't a lion like Kerobarous, it was a tiger. It was white with black stripes and paws, bracelets and armour much like Keros' with large wing's like a dragon or a bat. 

"That's amazing Li! I wish I was able to draw as well as that," Sakura said, holding up her own drawing. It was a bit of a mess, with what looked like Kero with his mouth full… or his small round yellow head just too big.

"It's from a dream…" Li said trailing off.

"Ohh?" Sakura wondered.

Suddenly the bell rang and they all packed up. The weekend was looming up before them and they were all tired and well ready for it. Li picked his bag up and looked up to see that Eli had already disappeared. 

Sakura, Madison and Li were walking out of the school gates when Madison suddenly had an idea.

"Hey you guys, why don't you come to my house and we can have Sakura try on her new battle costume? I think you'll like it Li, it's based on your's, so that you can see that you 2 are a team," Madison said smiling. Li and Sakura nodded, Li blushing a little at the thought of he and Sakura being a team on the books.

About half an hour later, Madison smiled and took out her video camera as Sakura paraded around for her in a pink, blue and purple version of Li's costume, although definitely female. Li looked at himself in the mirror, marvelling at the repair job Madison had done on his robes, especially after one of the cards had ripped it up somewhat in places. 

"You both look fantastic," Madison marvelled. Suddenly, both Sakura and Li felt something close by.

"What is it?" Madison asked, unable to sense anything.

"Clow Reed," they both answered her. Sakura and Li nodded to one another before they took off out the door, on their way to the park near where Sakura had captured the mirror card, Madison hot on their trail.

They ran into the clearing and stopped dead. Clow Reed was somewhere close. Sakura released her staff as Li did the same for his sword. Sakura took the Clow and Star cards in her hand and stood ready for anything. Anything but what happened next. 

A rough wind pulled the cards from her hand and they began to fly around. The Star cards obediently flew back to circle around Sakura while the few untransformed Clow cards floated before her in a line. Suddenly, they all burst into life; leaving their cards and becoming like the free spirits they had been before. Fortunately, Sakura had transformed most of the cards, including the hard to capture spirits such as the return as soon as she had been able to. Change, fight, shot, snow, thunder and a few others shot out. Sakura remembered how she had caught these cards and how difficult it had been. Thinking fast she pulled out the loop card.

"Loop Card, release and dispel, keep all the card spirits from escaping!" Loop flew out and trapped the cards in the park, as it had done with a panicked Dash when Sakura had begun transforming the cards. 

Li immediately pulled out an element card and attacked the thunder card, remembering that it was the first that he and Sakura had captured as a team. 

"Sakura Seal it!" He yelled as the Raizu stood to attack again.

"Return to you're powers confined! Clow Card!" The thunder was pulled into a card, but it still wasn't a Star card yet.

"I call upon the powers of my star, ancient forces near and far, Thunder transfer all you might and draw your power from my light! Star Card!" Thunder floated to the ground, a star card, before floating up to surround Sakura like the rest of the star cards.

It had already begun to snow when the Thunder card was changed. But that was just the beginning. Sakura began the hard job of securing the other cards while the fight card suddenly confronted Li. She was not a happy spirit, having been beaten in the first place and then having never been used.

She attacked Li with a vengeance, like when she had fought with Melin. Li blocked a few punches before delivering a kick of his own. 

"Element, wind!" He used the element card to blow fight away, but she used the force of the wind to ricocheted herself back at him. She delivered a punch to his jaw, breaking the bone and drawing blood. Li stumbled back, dropping his sword. Fight stopped for a second, before picking it up and using it against him, slashing across his chest so that he could only back away to keep from getting carved up completely. Fight brought the weapon down in an arc that collected his shoulder. Li called out in pain but he was too far from the others to hear. The snow was getting thicker now and visibility was nearing zero. The space created by the loop card was getting full!

Sakura, a fair way away from Li could see this as she carded what she thought was the second last card, the snow being the only one remaining. Or so she thought, because she had forgotten the fight card as Twin had acted as mirror and created another Li, but she had carded that only a moment ago. She thought Li was still behind her. She recalled loop and set on capturing Snow, calling Fly and Fiery to her aid. 

Fight sensed the disappearance of Loop and redoubled her attack on Li, cutting him in many places, blood splashing on the ground only to be covered by snow seconds later. Then Li got a shot back, kicking Fight's wrist so that she dropped his sword, where it returned to a ball and tassel, which he thew back towards the park. He could call it to him later when Fight was recaptured. Fight shrugged and kicked him again. Li fell backwards onto the snow covered ground. Fight then brought her boot down on his chest, breaking ribs before pushing him away again. Fight certainly was an aggressive card… but that was, of course, her purpose after all. Li rolled across the snow to suddenly disappear, fallen over the side of the small cliff that Tori had fallen from during the Mirror cards' freedom. Fight sauntered up to the edge, looking down to see that her target was holding onto a low tree branch with all his might. Fight smirked and kicked his hand, breaking the hold he had with his good arm. Li cried out in pain as his left shoulder, the one that Fight had cut badly, took all his weight. Fight waved good bye to him as she prepared to finish him off. Her foot came down and Li fell, plummeting towards the snowy ground below. 

He hit the bottom hard, the snow having only just started to fall in this part of the woods. The wind was knocked out of him and he lay on the ground for a few minutes. A few minutes later, it stopped snowing and Li called out for his friend and team member.

"Sakura!"

The fight card attacked Sakura as soon as she resealed the Snow. Sakura used the mirror card to put Fight against herself before sealing the card. Then it began to rain. Without waiting for the Fight card to float to her waiting hand, Sakura jumped up and grabbed it, calling to the shadowy figure behind her that she'd see him tomorrow at the park. The visibility in the rain was very poor and she thought that she'd been calling to Li. But she'd been calling to Eli, who stood alone near the trees, Ruby Moon and Spinel Sun hiding up in the trees, away from sight. Then Sakura and Madison ran to Sakura's house at top speed, rather than be completely soaked to the bone. Little did they know that Li was still out there.

AN: Well, what did you think? I know I know, it's a bit mean… like I said, it's just something I do with some of my favourite characters. And what better way to make Sakura admit what she feels and visa versa? 

Besides, I'm not going to kill him… then again Sakura and the gang have to find him first. Read and Review… flame me if you must but be kind, this is my first CCS fan fic… although not my first fan fic. You should read some of the things I've put the younger Obi-Wan Kenobi through in some of my stories hee hee. And Harry Potter… but only if you want to of course.

Thanks again… if people like this I'll post the second chapter, if not, I won't bother and you'll never find out what happens! Muwa hahahaha (Evil laugh)

… ^_^''' Sorry bout that.

Amalthea


	2. Lost and Found

AN: Hiya guys… OMG! People actually read I! I'm sooo happy… sorry, my last story, I wrote it, found this place and posted it, it's been up for a few months and only has 2 review for all 13 chappies… kinda sad isn't.

Oh well, I wrote the second half as soon as I posted the 1st part… how could I not? I don't want to leave Li there in such a state… well, not for long anyway. You'll just have to read and see… J This chappies better than the last… I hope. 

Tori woke Sakura in the morning, calling into her ear. Sakura blinked the sleep from her eyes before peering at her clock to figure that it was 10. 

'On No! I'm meeting Li and Madison in the park at 10! I'm late!'

10 minutes later, with a full stomach, Sakura was skating past the park when she saw Madison coming from the other direction. Sakura skidded to a stop as Madison walked up to her, smileing.

"I looks like Li's late today. I'm not surprised, he said Wei was going away for a week and he would have been cleaning up things first," Madison said smiling. Sakura and Madison sat down on a bench and Madison took out her video camera to show Sakura what she had caught on tape last night. Half an hour later saw Li still not shown.

"You don't suppose that anything's happened to him do you?"

"Hang on Sakura," Madison called out and brought the tape back a couple of minutes. "Look at this."

"Looks like Fight took Li on first I think… but then that means…" Sakura trailed off and pulled her cell phone out of her bag, dialling Li's number. 

Madison looked on as Sakura hung up the phone and looked worriedly at Madison.

"It rung out, he never answered. I know, I'll check his apartment and be back in 5 minutes," Sakura said pulling out her pendant and releasing the staff.

"Dash card, help me get to Li's house double fast, release and dispel!" Sakura ran off as she felt the magic spread through her, leaving a cloud of dust in her wake, knowing how fast Dash could go, even when it wasn't panicked.

She skidded to a stop in the court yard of the block of apartments Li lived in, called on Jump and jumped up to the appropriate level. She ran to Li's door and knocked on the door. She waited half a minute before knocking again, becoming panicked herself.

'hell with this,' she thought, pulling out another Star card.

"Lock card, unlock this door, release and dispel!" she called, hitting the card and watching as the spirit flew out and into the lock, before a moment later, the door popped open. Sakura stepped cautiously inside, slipping off her shoes at the door before creeping around the apartment in the attempt to find Li. She looked in his room and found that the bed hadn't even been slept in it looked like.

"Oh No!" she cried out and ran to the front again, satisfied that Li wasn't in and grabbed her shoes, pulling them on as she ordered lock to put the door back as it was. She then took Dash and Jump out and used them together to get back to Madison.

"Madison, he never went home last night!"

"Oh No! You don't suppose he's still in the park after last night do you?"

Sakura and Madison both rushed into the park. They moved into the trees and Sakura called out several cards to help her search for Li, they both now knew that he was still in the open. Sakura was glad that her powers were so strong now, throwing up the cards.

"Dash, Flower, Mirror, Song, Through, Shadow, Windy, Wood, release and dispel!"

The spirits of the cards came forward, floating and a-waiting orders. Sakura was glad that she had picked not only the faster cards, but also the gentler cards to help her search for Li.

"Star cards, my friend is missing somewhere close, but we don't know where he is. Please, stay in your spirit forms and help us find him, you all know him as you have seen him before. He should be dressed in green." Sakura paused before calling out another two cards.

"Voice, lend these star cards a voice to call for my friend, release and dispel!"

Voice flew out, circled all the other card spirits calling out Li's name like Sakura before returning to her card.

"Illusion, cover these star cards so that if they are seen by anyone but me, they look like a normal person out for a walk, release and dispel!"

Illusion flew out and swept over the other card spirits, leaving the strange repeated pattern over them for a moment before leaving a group of women in pants and tops standing, staring at Sakura. Dash hopped up and down, a small fox like creature.

Sakura waved them all off as she and Madison started calling to Li at the top of their lungs, walking into the small woods. It was very wet and there were still some traces of snow on the ground in places. They searched for almost an hour before Sakura came to the same place she had met Mirror when she had caught her the first time. She remembered how Tori had fallen over the small cliff and expecting the worst, she looked over the edge to see what she had been hoping not to.

Li was sprawled out on his side at the foot of the cliff, a few meters from the base. He was lying in a small pool of his own blood and his robes were clinging to him, showing some peculiar bends in his limbs. There was bruising on his face and Sakura couldn't see him breathing.

"LI!" Sakura yelled in fright. She pulled out a card and released fly before jumping down to her friend, the wings filling with wind and slowing her descent. She landed with a small thud some meters away as she pulled out another card. (AN: ever noticed that when Sakura flys, the wings never actually flap? Or is it just me?)

"Twin card, find the other cards and bring them here as fast as you can, release and dispel!" 

The twin spirits flowed out, bowed to Sakura and then, nodding to one another, sprang off in different directions to heard up the other cards. 

Having put all that in order for the moment, Sakura called Li's name, shaking his shoulders gently in an attempt to wake him up, but to no avail. She then pulled out her phone and called the hospital, giving then the location of penguin park before hanging up and pulling Li close to her. She used Fly again using one hand and flew, carrying Li as best she could up to the top level of the park, calling to Madison and the cards as she went. Windy flew up almost at once and then gathered the rest of the cards that Twins had missed. Sakura recalled her staff as Madison walked up and absently took the cards from her hand as Sakura struggled to keep in the tears that threatened to fall.

"Li. Li! Talk to me, wake up. Come on, it's not funny any more, Li. Wake up!" Sakura begged him. 

"What happened?" Eli asked Madison, causing her to jump a full foot into the air. 

"Eli! Where did you come from?" She asked confused and worried about her friends.

"I was walking past on the way to the store and I saw Li lying on the ground and thought that something must be wrong," Eli said, matter of factly. "And what is he wearing?" Eli said, pointing out Li's strange costume.

Without knowing it (or perhaps he did know it), he had just helped Madison and Sakura a lot with that one little question. What would they say to the medics if they asked about Li's strange costume?

"Oh, that?… well, Sakura and Li were at my place last night, and we were shooting this play that we're doing as extra credit. That was Li's costume, a powerful magician taken down to a helpless being by an innocent girl that he love," Madison explained with stars in her eyes (AN: sound familiar hee hee). 

"He had to wear it home because he spilt tea all over his clothes and couldn't wear them, so he just wore that home. He said that he liked the costume. Sakura told him that it was cute so that may be why."

As they were talking, Sakura was still trying to get Li to show some signs of life. Suddenly, Sakura stopped as Li let out a low moan. He struggled to open his eyes, his breathing laboured and whistling in his chest.

"Sakura… I knew… you'd… find me… soon…" Li all but breathed, before breaking off coughing. 

Sakura shushed him as she rubbed his back, helping him out as you would a baby that needed to burp. 

"Were you out here all night Li?" She asked him softly, tears welling up in her eyes again. He nodded but said nothing as the world around him continued to spin blearily. 

"Was it Fight Li?" Li nodded again, closing his eyes in pain and confusion as the broken bones and the many cuts he had gave him grief. Sakura stroked his forehead carefully with he bare hand, noting with a shock how hot he was. He wasn't blushing this time. He had a high fever. Li suddenly turned away from her, landing on his left hand and threw up on the pavement, breaking into a coughing fit again. Sakura rolled him into her chest and continued stroking his head as he tried to stay away, having difficulty breathing and being in a lot of pain. After a few minutes, he fell into a restless slumber in Sakuras' arms. 

"What happened to him?" Eli asked Madison as Sakura soothed Li.

"We found him at the bottom of the little ledge near here and carried him up the path to here, the medics wouldn't have been able to bring him up from there anyway."

"Little? That's not a little ledge, it's huge! He must have caught some of the sharper parts of the rock face," Eli said quietly. He felt bad for Li, especially after how many times he had been hurt in the trials he had put Sakura through. He had only wished to see how Sakura would handle changing all the Clow cards, but he had lost control of fight.

A few minutes later, the medics arrived. They took one look at Li and then put him on a stretcher before bundling the other three kids into the front and driving to the hospital. Some questions would be in order here.

AN: Well, what did you think? Good… bad… ugly... no wait, that was the last chapter… sorry J If the way I did Sakura annoyed you, let me know, I wasn't sure if it sounded alright but I asked one of my friends and they said that I should do that cos that's what she was always saying in the first series, before they were all changed. Anyway… the 3rd chappie shouldn't be too long, holidays have just started and so I'll have a bit of time… I just need my muse to bite my tongue and get me writing again. Don't you guys out there just hate writers block… let's hope it doesn't get me for this story huh J 

Amalthea


	3. The wail of the sirens

AN: Hiya to all of you that review the second… I know, if I want more reviews I should wait a while but I wanna decide what happens to Li and I'm sure that you guys reading this won't mind that I'm writing it quickly hee hee… sorry, I kinda wrote this about a week ago… and never got the time to post it until now… damn parents making me move… grr… sorry

Vegeta Lover: I'm not sure if I will put Melin in the story… at least, not yet, I never really liked her but that may be because she was really weird in the English version of CCS. She was probably a better character in the Japanese show ne? Sorry, just to let you know, if I throw a few Japanese words in it's not because I'm Japanese, I just study it J Anyway, on with the story.

Oh, BTW, rather than calling them doctors or nurses, I'm gonna borrow the characters from ER… so if you know the show, you know where they came from, and if not, you know they're not mine so I'm not taking credit… just don't ask who's they are cos I haven't the slightest idea. (Blushes)

"Sakura, stop pacing, you're making me nervous," Madison said as Sakura proceeded to wear a hole in the carpet near the waiting area. The three kids were on the third floor, waiting for the verdict. Eli was calmly reading a book; he had been on his way to the library along with his other errands. Madison was sitting with her video camera; having had it in her bag as she always did now with all the strange happenings that popped up without warning. She was taping the hospital, and had gotten the whole drama in the ambulance on tape…

-Flash Back to the ambulance –

"Oh God! What's wrong with him!" Sakura cried out as the medic in the back swore loudly and pounded a button on the sidewall, turning on an intercom with the driver.

"Put the foot down or we're gonna lose this kid!"

Sakura started crying while Madison left the camera that she had pulled out leaning over the back of the seat, unable to look as it were. Eli, who was sitting between the two, put a comforting arm around them both as Sakura sobbed onto his shoulder.

In the back, the first medic had already put Li on a drip while the second had wrapped him in the special blankets used on hypothermia victims and had put him on oxygen to help his ragged breathing. Now, Li had stopped breathing all together. This was a bad thing. The first medic shouted orders at the second as they tried to save him.

"Damn it Kate, what's the heart rate?"

"It's low and falling, get him breathing!"

Sakura couldn't bear to listen and she buried her head into Eli's shoulder. Eli, to his credit as a friend then put his hand up to cradle her head as the ambulance sped on, sirens wailing.

Sakura couldn't remember when they had pulled up at the hospital, she just remembered three guys in white coats and green jumpsuits rush out and take Li into the hospital, a bald one with glasses conferring with the two medics while a tall black haired man with a heavy Russian or German accent spoke to another black haired man, who was at that time, compressing a bag to help Li breath.

"Carter, we're going into trauma 2," the Russian said.

"Righto, Green, trauma 2!" Carter called to the bald man, who ran after then, yelling at the staff on the way to get back to their own jobs.

A kind faced blonde woman called Dr Lewis took them to a waiting room and left them there. 

-End flash back to the waiting room-

Madison gave up watching Sakura pacing.

"At least she's not crying," Eli pointed out to her. He smiled in the strange way that he does and returned to his book.

"It's a good thing Li had Wei's number on his mobile, and a good thing he was carrying it too."

Sakura fell over from shock as two doctors walked in, both looking tired. Sakura looked absently at the clock on the wall and gasped. It had been 11 when they'd arrived and it was now 3 in the afternoon!

"Hello, I'm Dr Kovac, and this is Dr Lewis. We have some news about you're friend." It was the Russian doctor that they had seen in the morning with Li.

Sakura sat down and started playing with the seams of her skirt, twisting it around her fist again and again as Eli and Madison listened intently to the two doctors.

"Kids, we have some good news for you and some bad news," Dr Lewis said kindly. "Your friend, Li wasn't it? he's just fine at the moment, he's sick but he's going to be just fine soon enough, with plenty of TLC."

"The bad news is that the police want to know how he got into such bad shape," Dr Kovac said grimly. 

They all nodded in understanding. They had known that this was coming. 

"Can we see him miss?" Sakura pleaded, wanting to know with all her heart if he was all right. The doctors nodded and Dr Lewis took her hand before leading her to a darkened room down the hall. Sakura ran in and saw Li on a bed. Dr Lewis left her as she surveyed her friend and tried her best not to cry again.

Li was lying there; pale as the sheets of the bed. There was the IV and his head was partly wrapped in bandages, as was his left shoulder. Sakura couldn't see the rest of the bandages as the sheets hid him. She wove her way past the heart monitor machine and, careful not to crush the lead running to the oxygen mask that covered Li's nose and mouth hugged him as best she could. She didn't hear Eli come in and pull her up a chair while Madison stayed outside and talked to the Doctors about what had happened. Sakura listened with half an ear, sitting down in the chair Eli offered her and holding Li's unbandaged hand and stroking his hair as he stirred a little.

"Now kids, he won't wake up for a while because we had to operate on him to fix him up. He's a brave boy and he has a lot of stitches and is very weak. He won't be able to talk because he broke his jaw. You can stay with him for a while but you guys have to ring your parents first ok," Dr Lewis told them, Dr Kovac having been called away.

Eli thought fast, he wanted to know what was wrong with Li before this Dr Lewis went away leaving him with so little information. He reached out as she turned to leave them after showing Madison where there was a phone available.

"Dr, I um… my mother is a doctor back home in England… and I know that this isn't the whole story… what did you guys have to do to him anyway?" Eli asked. 

He was feeling really guilty now as you can imagine after the fight had gotten loose. He'd thought that as Li was such a strong fighter and so protective that he'd be no match for Fight and she would have been over powered in no time flat. He was very unhappy that he had been wrong for obvious reasons.

Dr Lewis looked at him and figured that, as they looked so alike in some ways, that Li and Eli must be related in some way (AN: sorry, just had to do that with the cute little descendant thing hee hee). She nodded reluctantly, knowing that he wouldn't stop bugging her if she didn't. She didn't know how, but she just knew it. She led him off to another room as Madison called her mother and told her what had happened.

"Yes mother, I'm alright, I wasn't the one that got hurt…. Yes mother, Sakura is fine, she's with Li, he's the one that got hurt…mother, you know Li…. Thank you mother, yes, can you come in and pick us up as soon as you can, we're on the third floor, at room… 3051. See you soon, bye." Madison looked in on Sakura, who was still holding Li's hand, watching his pained face as the machines beeped every couple of seconds.

Madison called into the room, startling Sakura a little but not too much. 

"Would you like me to ring you're father Sakura?"

"No thanks," Sakura shook her head hurriedly and stood up, stroking Li's cheek. "I'll do it."

She stood up and hurried out to phone her father, but Tori picked up. 

"Hello"

"Tori, it's Sakura, Li got hurt and we're at the hospital with him… can I stay with him please? I don't want to leave him all alone and confused…" Sakura trailed off as Tori called for their dad.

"Sakura? What happened?"

"Li fell where Tori did last year and he's in the hospital… he was out in the rain all night because we all thought he'd gone home but he hadn't and … oh dad, please can I stay with him? He'll be so scared and confused when he wakes up!"

"Ok Sakura, you can stay, I'll come and check on you first though ok."  
"Thanks Dad," Sakura gave him the details and hung up, running back into the room where Li was, grabbing his hand and telling him that she was still there and wouldn't leave his side all night.

AN: okay, okay, I know it was probably a lousy chapter… but give me a bit of credit, I need to set the scene here, that way you know what's going on…

Two choices from here onto chapter 4… if you want to hear what Dr Lewis tells Eli and what they do as they wait and Sakura chews herself out… or we can visit Li in la la land and see what's happening there.

Tell me in the reviews or I'll just decide myself and you can be bored … or not… 

Amalthea


	4. Distant Visions of a Fevered Mind

AN: This part of the story is mainly from Li's understanding of things… similar to his POV but not quite ok… hope you like it

Thanks for reviewing guys : D (Is blushing like Li does around Sakura hee hee)

Lady Kazune Kikenshi: I'm so glad that you like it hee hee… it's a bad habit of mine sorry… It's getting better… please don't hit me with the paper fan : )

Vegeta Lover: that's a good thing… I don't think I'm gonna put Meiling in… she's just too umm… loud for me to understand enough to try and put in my fic… I'm a quiet person and stuff…

Franny Moon: It's not weird… Sometimes everyone reads those types of story, they're character building hee hee… favourite character building hee hee… sorry bad joke there

Time Warp: Sorry, outvoted at this point but the doctors are the next port of call : ) Shouldn't be too long before I update after this one too just be patient with me : )… same for you Solid, be patient hee hee it's coming

Li was floating. Everything was dark but colour and images flashed before his eyes every few seconds, people he knew and places he'd been, memories from his time in Japan. Nothing would stay still… nor would anything make sense. Everything hurt, from his very core to his eyelashes. Suddenly, things began to take some form… two people were before him. But there were more waiting in the wings to converse with him from the shadowy figures he could see. He wasn't floating anymore, he was in the circular garden that sat outside his window in Hong Kong, with the small pond and the beautiful trees that offered him comfort.

The shadowy figure before him began to take shape. Li gasped as he saw himself as a young child in the green training robes he'd had and the wooden stick shaped like a sword. Then the second figure took shape; it was him now, in his green robes with his sword. 

Li recognised them all to quickly and remembered why he was like he was… so stubborn and closed with his emotions. He'd never really had a friend and had grown up before he was supposed to have. He recognised them from what his family had told him when they had been really sick. It was his self and the self that observed the self… his inner child. The child was like stone with no smile… He'd asked his mother about them when they'd said strange things to him in his dreams. She'd said not to be afraid of them.

The third figure he could see began to take shape, it was a tall being, much like Yue but not quite the same. Behind 'her' was the beast from his dream. Then Li recognised them, they were the guardians of his clan, and they were smiling at him. The beast, the white tiger, Andimion, stepped forward and nuzzled him. The pain lessened from his dream form and he was able to relax. He looked up to see the other, Kibeth, sit down near him on the stone bench, smiling like a big sister as she reached out and ruffled his hair. He recognised her now, from when he had been lost in the woods when he was 5.

"Greetings child. It has been a time since we have met. You have had no need for our protection in the past, but we are still here now that you need us," Kibeth said, sounding like a mother as she stroked his cheek. 

"Be strong Li," Andimion said comfortingly, her purring filling Li's dream. "You are strong but you will need to let others help you for a time. You have been badly injured as you can imagine and are in no condition to be independent as you are used to. We are telling you this because we know you and you'll get yourself hurt if we don't tell you. Remember what happened when you sprained your ankle when you started training? You wouldn't tell anyone until you couldn't walk and then you weren't able to walk for 2 weeks."

"I understand… but it's so hard to tell people what I feel… I haven't asked for help since I was a child…it wasn't allowed with the training and everything… " Li trailed off. He was remembering what had happened when his best friend from childhood had disappeared without a trace and he'd been so heart broken. He'd vowed never to get close to anyone again to stop that happening again. And his training had never really allowed him much chance for many things. But there were people who were breaking his training and he didn't want to let them… not until he was finished and Sakura had changed all of the cards.

More figures appeared, floating with the still images above him, as the two selves he held within him took their leave having really nothing to say to him at the time. He watched as the faces formed, as did Kibeth and Andimion. Sakura, Madison, Meilin and even Eli were floating above him along with his other classmates.

"Li, these are the people in you're life that are worried for you when you are sick, and happy when you are happy. They are you're friends. You must tell them that you are grateful for their company when you see them," Kibeth said, as she sat the small boy on her lap.

"Li, we must leave you now. You are strong and a battler. All will be well."

"Do not worry, you're friends will take care of you, you just need to let them…" Kibeth and Andimion suddenly began to vanish, as did the figures over head. 

Li was again floating, the colours of his world flashing again, but this time, they were much faster. Things were becoming clearer to him. He felt hot and confused. It hurt oh God how it hurt. He'd never been so sore in his life, not even the time he'd fallen off a horse and fractured his wrist when he was 7. It hurt to breath and it felt as though there was a heavy weight on his chest, as if Fiery was laying on him and crushing him. His head began to pound and his jaw ached. He moaned and struggled to open his eyes, but they felt as though they were glued shut. He finally managed it after what seemed an age of trying.

The room was lit only by the moonlight streaming in from the window, which bounced off the white washed sterile walls. It was late and Li stared at a clock on the wall for a good 10 minutes before working out that it was a little after 2am. He glared blearily at the beeping heart monitor beside his bed and took in the oxygen mask and the drip in his left arm, threading it's way between heavy bandaging. He tried to lift his arm but it felt as if it were tied to a lead weight. After a stubborn struggle, he managed to get his right hand up enough for him to push the offending oxygen mask away from his face. A few minutes after he did this, time which was spent staring at the unfamiliar ceiling of the ward and feeling very dizzy as the room spun like a washing machine, something started beeping softly and he looked over to see a flashing light on one of the stupid machines that was attached to his arm. His head hurt and he was too hot and the beeping was making his headache worse. He wasn't in the mood for this. To make matters worse, he could barely see beyond the end of the bed, despite the fact that the room was mostly lit. He couldn't see Sakura's worried face as she slept restlessly in a chair, curled up in a ball covered in a blanket by the kindly nurse.

After a few minutes, Li worked out that glaring at the machine was not working. He wanted to throw up but he couldn't seem to open his mouth very much past being able to breathe through it. He coughed violently and suddenly, spitting blood onto the sheet after a minute or two. He groaned again and sunk back into the pillows, away from the blood on the sheets. He felt so weak, not just where his magic was concerned as when he had used the time or the return card, but his body felt as if even breathing was a chore that it couldn't really be bothered doing properly. 

A nurse hurried in to check on him and shook her head at the beeping monitor. She pushed a button and smiled at Li.

"Hey there, you're finally awake. The anaesthetic was harder on you than most people. I'm Abby, I'll be looking after you for the moment." Abby said softly.

Li nodded and closed his eyes again wearily. He was so tired. He opened his eyes a crack when Abby changed the IV bag, pulling on the tube in his arm. He tried to say something but it came out as a jumbled mess that made no sense.

"Shhhh, don't try to talk, you have a broken jaw." Abby pulled a thermometer from her pocket and gently turned Li's head to one side, putting one end in his ear. Abby was glad that they had invented these new thermometers, putting it in this boy's mouth would not have been an easy task in his state.

'Her hands are nice and cool…' Li vaguely noted. He was so hot and bothered. It felt like a sweltering summer's day, but it was late winter and no where near summer… not a good sign. 

"You need to keep this on mate, you were in the rain all night and this has medicine in it to help you breath better," Abby said, putting the oxygen mask back over Li's nose and mouth. Li could taste the tang of the antibiotics and after a while his laboured breathing lessened and was slightly easier, but not by much. Li scowled a little but was too exhausted to really do anything else. He felt terrible and the night and day he'd spent in the rain weren't much of help. He felt a cool compress meet his hot and sweaty brow and he tried to open his eyes again, but it was too hard. He started to float back into sleep and this time, there were not more confusing dreams as there had been the last time.

AN: Sorry if that was really bad (Don't hit me Lady Kazune… I'm not very happy with this chappie)…

Kibeth and Andimion are mine obviously and if you want a pic of them for some reason at all, e-mail me and ask for it… or put it in with your review. I was kinda thinking along the lines of the Neon Genesis Evangelion episodes where Shinji was trapped in the Derac sea and when he was absorbed by the Eva later on… if you've seen them… if not never mind. I always liked that part of NGE… 

Review and let me know what you would like to see, other than S+S cos I know ppl will want that hee hee. Besides, I'm not sure who should question the kids yet… police, Wei or the doctors because Wei must come and pick up his charge soon...That's a certain thing… just … um… later ok.

Bye for now : )


	5. Other more sinister happenings sorry, ba...

AN: Okay, I said in the first chappie that this was set before the end of the series… well… lets just pretend that the final test never happened but that the last card was created so … yeah… I have an idea but you need to understand the whole new card bit for it. Okay, okay : ) We'll just pretend that the only cards left as Clow cards are the light and the dark and that the whole final test will happen um… later… much later. Okay it's all good.

Also, this is happening while Li is away in La la land… for lack of a better term… or well, I like the term so bite me if you don't : )

Oh, to those that reviewed the last chappie, the comments are at the bottom ok : )

Eli and Madison were sitting on the other side of the room, away from where Sakura was silently willing Li to open his eyes and smile at her. All was silent except for the monitor. It was as if Sakura had used the silent card (which see often used on Kero when she was trying to study, not that it was a common occurrence). 

"So what did the doctor say Eli?" Madison asked softly, her musical voice almost a whisper. Eli shook his head and nodded towards Sakura. He then stood and pulled Madison into the hallway where Sakura couldn't hear them unless she was standing next to the door.

"Do you really want to know Madison?" Eli pushed his glasses up onto the bridge of his nose. Madison nodded, knowing that Dr Lewis hadn't told them the whole story… she pulled out her video camera in a force of habit and focused it on Eli, who ignored it knowing that it was Madisons way of escaping reality. 

'What's wrong with running away from reality if it sucks after all?' Eli thought to himself.

"Well Madison, I'll start from the top. He has a number of stiches in the back of his head and his jaw was cracked from the fall so he won't be able to really talk at all for a week or so. He has a broken wrist but it's not a major break, more of a stress fracture and most of his ribs are cracked or worse, broken. I'm still not sure how you manage that with cartilage. He had stiches in his right arm and his legs where there were deep cuts and some on his back. He won't be able to use his left shoulder for a while because it was as if he almost had his arm severed according to the doctor. She said that he'd had hypothermia too and that a little while longer and he'd have been dead before you found him. As it is, they got is temperature up and now, he has a terribly high fever and it looks like he's developing phenomena but they're trying their best to stop it before it sets in to deeply. The night in the rain and then the day in the wet clothes have done him more harm than you would think. And that's not even mentioning the bruising and what ever mental damage has been done to him. I don't even want to think about that yet." Eli frowned. The look on Madisons face after he had pretty much repeated the doctor was obviously not what she had been expecting.

Sighing, he took her hand and led her to one of the plastic chairs that lined the walls of the corridor and sat her down. All she could do was shake her head.

A doctor came down the corridor as they sat there and stopped. Dr. Kovac thought that there were three kids who came in with the kid in the Halloween costume. 

"Hey, are you the ones that came in with that kid earlier? In 305… something?"

Eli nodded as he rubbed Madisons' back in a soothing way. Dr. Kovac nodded at this.

"Well my young friend, the doctors have some questions to ask you both about him if you could come with me, where's the other girl?"  


"Sakura?" Eli asked before continuing, pulling Madison up and following Dr. Kovac to one of the empty rooms. "She's in with our friend Li, they're really close and she's very upset at the moment, you probably wouldn't get much out of her at this point in time."

Dr Kovac nodded and sat down, pulling a pen out and opening his folder. It was always hard asking children things like this but he and Dr Lewis were the best with children and she was busy so he didn't have much of a choice. Besides, the other doctors were all working on other patients, being that this was the major hospital in the area.

"Well, the other doctors and I were wondering how your friend came to be so badly injured. Do you know if he has abusive parents? Has anything like this happened before that you know of? Was he near a road?"

Madison and Eli looked at him as he trailed to a stop. Madison shook her head and explained what Li couldn't, as he was unconscious at the time.

"Li lives with a family servant and teacher in an apartment. Wei would _never_ do something to hurt anyone, not even a plant or an animal, he's a sweet man. Li's never sick either, he's always at school while the rest of us get the flu or something."

"I see, and where was he found? When was the last time you saw him?" Dr. Kovac asked patient as always.

"Sakura and I found him in the woods near the park. He wasn't at home this morning and we were supposed to meet him at the park but well, we found him at the bottom of the ledge near the end of the park on the way back from checking his place. Sakura and I carried him up to the street where the ambulance would be able to pick us up after we'd called you. Eli was walking across the street and he saw us, he's a friend of Li's and was worried," Madison said calmly, still shooting with her camera absent mindedly. Dr Kovac hadn't asked when he'd looked at Eli questioningly and received a shake of the head.

"When was the last time you saw him?"

"Sakura, Li and I were at her house last night, shooting a film for extra credit. He left at about 9 and walked home, that was the last I saw of him, it was a little while before it started raining. He spilt soup all over his clothes when we had dinner with Sakuras' family and had to wear the costume home. She offered him a coat but he didn't want one… his house is close and we thought that he'd be at home by the time it started raining. He must have been chased by a vicious dog or something, the park is on his route home…" Madison trailed off, wondering what on earth she could say that would cover up the magic she had seen that night. 

'At least I won't have to match my story up with Li's because I wasn't there and am guessing as far as the doctor knows…' Madison thought.

"Thank you for you're cooperation kids, I understand you only found out what was happening as we pulled up correct?" Dr Kovac asked looking at Eli, who nodded.

"I'll have to ask you're friends what happened when I can, but for the moment, there doesn't seem to have been a hit and run or a child abuse problem. It could be anything from a dog to a mugger or anything. The wind may have blown him about into the woods and he got lost and fell… You can go back to your friend now kids. Thanks for your help"

Eli smiled his mysterious smile while Madison smiled her thousand dollar smile for the doctor before they exited the room and found their way back to Li's room.

AN: Yeah, I know, short as hell but work with me people… this is the first time I've written a story and posted as I go… be kind… usually I write the whole fic the cut and chop it to bits when I'm done and have proof read it about a hundred times over… plus the whole where do I go from here sometimes is catching up with me… I know where I want to end up but umm… yeah… 

Comment for reviewers (you guys are sooo great to me blushes You like the story, I'm sooo happy)

Kawaii-sakurasyaoran: Glad you think it's cute… wait till I write more heehee

silent angel: Yeah, like I said, I got talked around in circles by that one… it's a fevered dream though so it's supposed to be a little confusing I guess… besides the two guardians were flying around in my head for months after I saw Ruby Moon and Spinal Sun : )

Time Warp: Eva rocks doesn't it : ) I just haven't had any ideas for writing a fan fic for it yet… I'm still picking my brain heehee.

Vegeta Luver: I saved you for last cos yours was the longest (thanks sooo much for that btw). Wei was contacted yes, for the whole parental permission the doctors needed and all. He's in Hong Kong or something at the moment in the story but he's trying to hop the first plane he can to come and care for his young charge. You must just remember that Yelan… that is Li's mum right… can be a pain… at least in some stories… and she may think her Li can handle it… don't ask me how Meilin would deal with the whole thing. That's a good point about the other character in La La land… I'll have to think about that one… 

Thanks again to all of you who reviewed too. It's making me think of a way to write the story even faster than normal! BTW, to those who are reading it, there may be a bit of a time delay… longer that the last few… between when I update as I have exams coming up and well… ^_^;… Exams are exams and although they aren't all senior year ones, most of them are just a level under it… and I have a Japanese one too!!! Arghh…


	6. No rest for the weary usually anyway

AN: Okay, this time, we'll see what Sakura and Li are both up to… in a sense. This is while Eli and Madison are being questioned FYI. Enjoy… I have nothing to really say ATM… oh well… see the bottom for comments… same drill…

Sakura didn't take much notice when Madison and Eli left, she knew that neither of them would be staying the night and so gave them a small wave and an even smaller smile. She watched as Li slept, the oxygen mask covering most of his face. His eyes twitched beneath the eyelids and his forehead was furrowed in worry and fear. There was serious bruising on his face, his left eye black for a start. There were dark rings under his eyes, the sign of bad health, and his cheeks were flushed. Sakura watched as he started to shiver a little and she pulled a light blanket over his body, trying to ignore the laboured breathing as it whistled in his chest.

"Oh Li, you've helped me so many times that I've lost count, and now look what's happened. When you needed me the most, I let you down! I should have waited for you before running home, I could have used the Rain card to stop the rain but I didn't think of that. I could have let you stay my house because Wei was away and you wouldn't have been lonely and if you'd caught a cold I could have made you soup last night… I'm so sorry Li, just please be okay, I need you by my side and I need to tell you something important… I've never really said thank you," Sakura sobbed as Li turned his head to the side and coughed violently. His eyes flickered open and Sakura clutched his limp, unbandaged hand in hers, perfect tears forming in her emerald eyes.

Li looked at her groggily, seeing only blurry shapes through the haze of the fever that raged through his body neck and neck with the pain that fought to over come him again. He was so weak and frightened; not that he'd normally let anyone see it. He needed to get out of here, there were strangers and everything was unfamiliar and smelled of cleaning fluid, where everything was white, right down to the shapeless curtains and window shutters. His instincts screamed for him to run and what more could he do but follow them. He was never sick, but when he was, nasty monsters had a bad habit of showing up, as it had happened when he was 4 and 5. Just then, as if on cue, a large and terrible head looked in through the door and another looked in from the window. They looked like the Clow card spirits but they were evil by nature and they were after him, with intent to kill written on their faces. They were always there when he was sick, that was why he must never become sick… ever! Luckily, it hardly happened at all… him being sick.

Sakura looked at Li, who was looking past her at the window; his fever glazed eyes seemingly terrified. As she watched, he struggled weakly, almost pulling the tube from his arm, whimpering and struggling, almost on the verge of tears, not at all reserved and controlled as he normally was.

'Oh no! He'll hurt himself if he keeps this up! He's delirious, hallucinating and he's scared, not a good thing… I know!' Sakura thought and rushed to close the door and lock it for a few minutes.

Pulling out her key, she called the staff out.

"Release!"

She threw a pink backed card into the air before her and aiming her staff at it calling."

"Sleep card, put Li to sleep for a few hours before he hurts himself, release and dispel!" She struck the card and the small elf like creature appeared, zipping over to Li while Sakura returned her staff and struggled to hold him down as he tried to get out of bed. Sakura silently thanked the person who had put the metal barriers on both sides of the bed to keep Li from rolling out. Sleep sprinkled Li with magic and his movements began to slow. He turned his glazed eyes to Sakura as he lay his head back heavily on the pillow, and his eyes slid shut again a few minutes later and his breathing began to even out, although still shallow and ragged. 

Sakura sighed in relief and stroked his flushed cheek, pushing his damp hair away from his sweaty brow. She suddenly felt very sleepy and, pocketing the Star card again, she sat on a chair and pulled her legs up to her chest, before she fell into a light and restless slumber, much the same as Li's.

Morning came and Sakura opened her eyes wearily, noting that she was still in the hospital and that the curtains around Li's bed had been closed. This was unusual. She stood up, a little too fast as her head span for a moment, and called out to find what was happening, the blanket that had been placed over her falling to the floor in a rustle.

"Oh, sorry to wake you miss, we're just in here checking on Li's stiches and such. He's still asleep too, poor boy. He's had a rough time and that's an understatement," Abby called from behind the curtains. "We'll be done in a minute."

Sure enough, as soon as Sakura had sat down again, the curtains were pulled back and the nurses left the scene. Sakura smiled absently, noting that the oxygen mask was gone, replaced by a smaller tube that ran to his nose, and she could see his face more clearly. He looked so peaceful there. Sakura pulled the chair up to sit next to his bed again, looking at the clock and noting that it was only about 7 am. She was never up this early, not even for school, but her Li needed her.

She sat and held his hand quietly, saying nothing aloud but praying in the back of her mind. She was glad that they had arranged to meet on the Saturday, because if she and Madison hadn't had anything planned, then they probably wouldn't have found Li until after school on Monday at the earliest… and he would have probably been almost dead if not already ... Luckily, they'd found him on the Saturday and Sakura decided to try and stop playing the 'what if' game.

She sat for almost an hour, just thinking of all that Li had done for her recently and also during the time they had been capturing the cards in the first place.

'He was so cold when he first came, when we caught the Thunder and the Time especially… but when we caught the Dash, he helped Jessie with her race. And when we learnt to skate when the Freeze card showed up… and when he gave me the Cloud because I was out to capture it when I was sick…what would I ever do without him by my side… he's such a good friend, I'm so glad that he's stable now.'

And that was true. Madison, Kero and Melin had been good help but Li had been invaluable, and now that there were only a couple of Clow cards left for her to change, he had to get better soon to help her. 

'Besides,' Sakura thought, 'he'll be really annoyed if he misses out on me changing the last few cards.'

A little after 8, a nurse came in with Eli and Madison in tow, both of which dive bombed Sakura and asked if she'd heard anything from Wei. Sakura shook her head and smiled weakly at her friends. Eli smiled in his strange way and fished out Li's chart, reading to see how his descendant was today. He smiled again, replacing it before sitting down in the other chair.

"Here Sakura, I brought you in some warm tea," Madison said producing a thermos of the afore mentioned tea and pouring Sakura a cup. The tea had a strong scent and Madison smiled, saying that she had made the recipe herself and it helped give her energy. Sakura drank it happily, still aware that her magical reserves were low after Friday night and using all the cards yesterday. But it had been so worth it to use Sleep on Li before anything bad had happened. Why hadn't she tried to use Sleep on the renegade cards on Friday night? Sakura kicked herself again as she thought of that and added it to the end of the long list of 'what if's' that had compiled itself all night. 

Li stirred a little and turned his head away from the window, an offending beam of light falling on his face. Sakura went and felt his head, finding that he still was in the wraps of the fever, his face white with dark red cheeks, and sleep was the best thing for him. Eli stood and shut the blinds just enough to block out the light on Li's face. 

"Hey Sakura, have you had anything to eat since yesterday?" Eli asked as Sakura leaned back in her chair and almost spilt her tea over her lap.

"Yes," Sakura half lied. She had eaten a few biscuits but not a full meal. Her stomach growled, betraying her words and she blushed (AN: Imagine the face when the eyes are just dots with the sweat drop here hee)

"Come on Sakura, you need to eat something or you'll get sick too, and that wouldn't be a good thing would it?" Eli said as he and Madison pulled her to the door.

"He'll still be here when you get back Sakura, besides, we won't be that long, they have a café right here in the hospital." Madison joined in and Sakura finally relented and allowed herself to be pulled along the corridor to the elevator.

"I'll see you soon Li," Sakura called over her shoulder to the sleeping boy. Li didn't stir.

AN: I think I kinda got talked around in a circle there didn't I? Sorry about that… please review and tell me if it was any good or if I should just trash the chapter/ story… you know… hope to hear from you guys soon… Maybe I'll bring Meilin into the picture next chapter… hmmm; she and Eli have never met hee hee I see a bit of fun in that.


	7. Revelations and a light at the end of th...

AN: Okay, Okay, I know it's been ages since I was able to update… but I had exams and thankfully they are now finished… I had a huge thing to do with cadets (navy… ask if you want to know more about what I'm blabbering on about if not never mind) and I have another thing this weekend … and finally I just moved to a new place about a 2 hour drive from my old place and we've only just got the computers unpacked about 2 days ago. I've been using the library ones for a while but I didn't want to continue the fic because well… I didn't have a disk and I didn't have the time… so sue me it's only worth about $20 Australian lol

Well… here it is… I know, I should have updated sooner but yeah… anyway, I hope you guys enjoy and thanks as always to those that reviewed, I'm indebted to you guys for that. : )

Okay, this is about 3 days after the last chappie… or maybe more. Just so you guys know…

Sakura walked through the sterile halls of the hospital on her way to the children's ward. Li was out of the critical area but he still hadn't really woken up. The nurses all found it very strange but it was probably better in some ways. He'd been awake a few times, sure, but he was never really aware of his surroundings and he never said anything much or reacted to anything. Not even Sakura. In fact, the only time he'd really been awake enough to talk to anyone, he'd asked for a bucket before he threw up everywhere before passing out again. It was not a pretty sight. Sakura couldn't cry much any more, her tears spent on the first day, but she had hopes for Li. Abby said he was getting better and he was strong but that he was sleeping a lot and not aware of what was happening because of the medicine they were giving him for pain. She was collecting Li's work from school for him, still hoping that he'd wake up long enough to talk to her. 

She walked into the room and smiled at Li's sleeping form. 

"Hey Li, how are you today?" Sakura asked, although not expecting an answer. She looked at her friend and was pleased to note that the horrible bruising on his face and other visible parts was almost all gone, as was much of the swelling. She pulled out her key and walked out onto the balcony. There was nobody about and she figured that it was safe enough for her to call on one of the cards quickly, besides, the were on the 6th or 7th floor and nobody could see them from above.

Calling out her staff, she threw up a star card and called to it.

"Flower, make me a bunch of Li's favourite flower to cheer up the room, release and dispel!"

The small wind blew up as always from her magic circle and she was suddenly holding a bunch of peonies in her arms. She thanked Flower before she returned her staff and put the card back into her pocket.

She walked back into the ward and brushed Li's unruly hair away from his eyes, pleased to note that his temperature was lower than it had been since he'd been found. His body was slowly gaining ground. But it wasn't fast enough, not by a long shot. A few more days and the doctors would be getting in a specialist, maybe even transferring him to another hospital. A fever only lasted at most a day or two, and even then it would come down quickly if treated the right way. Li's had been raging for almost a week and his bodies resources were running thin, even with all the extra fluid they were giving him. Sakura smiled at his green pyjamas with the yellow cuffs and orange trimmings, almost the same as his battle robes. Wei had brought them in when he had returned, 2 days after Li had been found, on the first available flight. He had brought some clothes and things for Li in the hopes that he would wake up. Wei was now at the apartment cleaning and cooking, doing anything to take his mind off Li for a few hours, the nurses having sent him home to rest before he got sick too.

Sakura pulled out a thermos of tea that Madison had made her and sat next to Li's bed, opening her own homework book and staring at the maths with absolutely no understanding. After about an hour, she sighed, put the book and the pencil back into her bag and looked at Li. She gasped and fell backwards from the chair and onto the floor with a clatter as the chair fell too, picking herself up and peeking over the edge of the seat at Li. He was awake and looking at her, worried that she had fallen down.

"Li! You're awake! Oh I'm so glad that you're awake!" Sakura jumped up and threw her arms around his neck, crying with joy. Li coughed and Sakura gulped and thumped him gently on the back. He stopped coughing and smiled at her.

"Oh Li, you've had us so worried, you've been asleep for 3 days running at last count, and you've been delusional too," Sakura babbled, hugging Li, who had weakly put his arm around her back, though he hadn't registered that he had.

'3 days! Wow, They were right…' Li thought, remembering what Kibeth and Andimion had told him. He felt as if he'd had all his energy drained, everything was tied down with lead weights and it hurt everywhere. At least it wasn't as hot as he remembered and he was thinking relatively clearly. He was still so tired though. The annoying beeping machine was gone as was the full face mask, but the tube in his arm was still there and there was a tube running under his nose. He could still taste the medicine he was breathing in constantly. It made him want to throw up again.

Sakura stared in surprised as her tears of joy at Li being awake, all right, gathered, and pooled into a ball that floated to her hands and formed a card of sorts. She stared at Li, putting the strange and still glowing card on the side table as Li weakly looked at her and lay back down with a small thump. He looked a little bit green and his eyes were beginning to get dull again. Sakura gasped and she shook Li gently awake before sleep could pull him under again. She needed to tell him before it was too late and he fell asleep again, the nurses had said that he was so listless. She felt his head and gasped in shock as she felt him burning up again, even worse than before if she was any judge!

"Li, there's something really important I need to tell you. Li, thanks you for all the times you've helped me out, like when we caught the sand card and the thunder card and all the others. Thank you for being there for me when I needed someone to talk to. I never could have done it without you and I hope you know that. I will always be here for you and I'm going to do my best to take care of you now, seeing that it was my fault that you got so badly hurt and all, what with Fight and everything…" Sakura trailed off, beginning to blush as Li did every time she was around him, tears forming in her eyes again as the memory of the when she had found him surfaced again.

"Same for you Sakura, you're one of the best friends I've ever had… and I care about you more than anything in the world… even if you don't share that thought," Li mumbled as best his broken jaw would allow. His eyes began to drift shut as a loud gong sounded in Sakura's ear and she jerked upon hearing his words (AN: Like when Julian and Sakura realised that Ruby knew about Tori giving his powers to Yue, or Ms Mackenzie's Bell).

"Li, I… uh… I can't put it any better than you just did then… I feel the same way for you," Sakura smiled warmly, her tears finished. Li smiled warmly before his eyes slid shut and he drifted into slumber again. Sakura brushed his cheek before planting a small kiss on his forehead at which point he smiled and sighed happily before he was well and truly asleep. 

He was so warm… she pulled out a face washer from the drawer near Li's bed and wet it in the bathroom before putting it over is forehead in an effort to cool him down, even though she got a rather nasty look from one of the nurses. He sighed with relief as she placed it down, his flushed cheeks glowing almost as much as his sleepy smile as he drifted between sleep and being awake enough to hold a conversation. He was just so tired he didn't want to move. Fight and the rain had taken his spirit and body through the ringer and back again and it wasn't happy at all with the situation. It was as if Li's body was making up for all the sick time he hadn't had in one big hit, Li having never taken a sick day off in his entire life that he could remember. That wasn't to say that there hadn't been some days he couldn't remember.

Sakura sat down in her chair again and suddenly remembered the strange card that had formed from her tears… She picked it up and studied it. She smiled as she noted that it was a Star card already as she wouldn't have to change it. She looked at the picture and found a woman spirit like Windy, the spirits hair pulled into two looped pig tails, a small hat on her head. She wore a short sleeved dress with a short skirt, apron, and a belt. Around her neck was a stethoscope and she had a red cross right above her heart and a small cross on her fore head. Sakura read the caption and almost laughed in delight. The Healer card, she had created it. To help her beloved Li after he'd helped her so much.

But a group of parents had just come in and were staring at her strangely as the small child wailed at having had it's tonsils out a few hours ago. Li slept through the noise and Sakura smiled. Madison had been in yesterday and gotten a photo but Sakura took a mental picture of the contented face, sickly as it was, and felt her heart flutter again as she remembered that Li cared for her in a way that could never be described. She packed her things away and left the new star card on Li's bedside table, pulling out her staff and placing shield on the card in the bathroom a couple of minutes after putting it there, telling it to only let herself and Li touch the card. Unlike most of the female card spirits, the object spirits like Lock, Sword and Shield were unseen by people as they were placed, where as Windy and such sadly were detectable even to those without magic. Sakura kissed Li on the cheek and left for the afternoon, heading home on her blades and deciding to try Heal on Li tomorrow afternoon.

AN: I'm close to finishing it now. The people who are reading this… wether reviewing or not will be happy won't you guys J I'm always happy when people finish the story… until I realise that I want to read more of it lol.

Hopefully, now that my holidays officially start in about 8 days… you know no other commitments until christmas and next year for school and cadets and stuff… I should be able to update again sooner that the last time. Sorry again to those who were following the story… I felt guilty at having not updated in ages but it happens. Keep your eyes open. See ya 

Luv 

Amalthea


	8. Let me help you

Aww man, I'm so terribly sorry to leave this for so long. Gomen nasai… I think that's how it's spelt for those who know some Japanese… Well, this is so far the final chapter but yeah, sorry it took so long for me to put up… I've been having a few problems and well… I haven't really been up to anything much other than vegging and stuff… But it's done now and I have a new idea for a story thanks to my rather eventful Christmas. I hope you guys all had a great one and a fantastic new year. Hope you like it and stuff : ) Read and review.

P.S., thanks to everyone who reveiwed the last chappie and the rest of the story too : ) you guys rock in stereo.

Sakura burst into the ward with a get well card in her hands from the class. She walked over to where Li's bed was, smiling and gasped in fright when she realised that he wasn't in it. 

'He's awake! He's better now,' Sakura thought joyfully, 'The sleep card spell is starting to wear off.'

Looking around, she saw a figure in a chair on the balcony, with tousled chocolate brown hair and a sling for his left shoulder. Sakura looked on the bedside table and saw that the star card was gone. That meant Li had found it. Dumping her back pack on a chair, Sakura padded out onto the balcony where Li sat playing with the star card, slowly twisting it in his hands while he tried to stay focused, nodding his head every couple of minutes as the still present fever tried to put him back to bed where he belonged, along with the drugs in the IV (AN: evil nurses, they really do that sometimes, I know, my mum is one of them… just throw a little bit off this in with that… besides, the pain killers in hospitals usually have the whole 'Warning: May cause Drowsiness' on them… just letting you guys know cos you seemed a little confused from the last bit… sorry about that and thanks for letting me know).

"Hey Li, how are you feeling today?" Sakura asked cheerfully. 

Li looked up and smiled weakly, his eyelids drooping before he shook his head and rubbed them with his right hand. Sakura moved onto his right side, careful of the IV stand to his left.

"Nurse let me out for a bit. Fresh air will do me good," he croaked, his voice hoarse both from the narrowly avoided pneumonia, which had become a nasty form of bronchitis, and from the days of unuse. Sakura stood and pulled the blinds in the ward shut and shut the balcony door.

She called her staff out and threw up a star card that was rarely used.

"Lock card, keep people from coming out onto the balcony, release and dispel!"

The green lock flew out and into the door as shield streamed out and formed a card in Sakuras waiting hand, having fulfilled it's purpose of guarding the star card until she returned.

Li looked up at Sakura as she held out her hand for the new Star Card. His amber brown eyes met her emerald green ones. Both pairs of eyes were filled with worry for the other as Li reluctantly gave up the card to its mistress, scowling because she thought that he needed help.

Sakura threw it up, twirling her staff like a baton.

"Heal card, I bid you to take my friends fever away so that he can begin to get better, release and dispel!"

The pale pink woman flew out like Windy and floated before Li, who gazed in wonder at her beauty (AN: If you know Pokemon, think of Nurse Joy here hee hee). She put her hand out and touched Li's fore head, a light wind blowing his sweat damp hair this way and that. His face relaxed and his jaw hung down as far as the restraining bandages would allow it. His head drooped forward as his eyes drifted shut, half-closing, falling asleep again as the new card spirit bid him silently (AN: poor Li huh, he's definitely not a well boy). 

Sakura watched as he slowly began to lose the dark red cheeks and his face turned from the sickly white to a slightly more normal colour. She smiled as the card spirit withdrew her hand, shaking it as if it were wet. Heal turned to Sakura and smiled, bowing before returning to her card form and floating to Sakura's waiting hand.

Sakura pocketed the card, called back the lock and returned her staff to the key before kneeling before Li, who had passed out in the chair. She smiled and gently kissed his forehead before waking him up. He was confused for a second before the hazy happenings came flooding back to him. He put his right arm out, his left arm confined by a sling, and pulled Sakura in to the strongest hug he could muster.

"Thank you Sakura, for everything," was all Li could say. She helped him to stand up and he took the advice of his family's guardians, the advice that they had given him over a week ago, to let others help him rather than push them away, and leant on Sakuras' shoulder, as she pulled the IV trolley for him and held him up. 

"The fever may be gone for the most part Li, but you still need to take it easy and rest. It's the best thing for you now. You have your phone and my number. If you get worried or lonely, call at any time and I'll see if I can come in or at least cheer you up. The doctors will probably release you in a couple of days too, now that the fevers gone," Sakura said happily before Li suddenly swooned a little and sat down hard on the edge of his bed. Sakura pulled the sheets up for him, as he lay down again tired after the walk, his muscles weak from the many days in bed.

"Thanks again Sakura," Li said as she smiled at him. "But I'm not sleepy right now," he lied. He thought that there were people trying to pull his eyelids shut as he tried desperately to keep them open to see Sakura and assure her that he was all right.

Sakura giggled at this, seeing the bags under Li's eyes, watching as he tried to keep his eyes open and knew he was about ready for another nap. 'Poor Li, he's still trying to be proud even now,' Sakura thought. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a card, knowing that the one she wanted would always rise to the top of the pile somehow.

"Don't make me call Sleep and use him on you again Li, I don't want you to have a relapse. When you get out, maybe I can use Heal to fix some of the other wounds, but not until you get out or the doctors would be suspicious. So you need to go back to sleep to get better sooner," she reasoned.

Li nodded, yawning and cursing his body for betraying him again. He was still tired but at least he wasn't as tired as he'd been recently, the fever was no longer taking all his energy away. He'd be going home soon, and Sakura had said that she would take care of him. He was glad, she was so gentle and kind.

"Oh Li, I almost forgot, I found this near the swings yesterday, I thought that you might want it back," Sakura said, handing him the small tassel that became his sword when he said the incantation. He almost jumped for joy but he kept his cool as best he was able, a grin breaking onto his face before he yawned again. He took it gratefully and hugged it close to his chest.

"Thanks again Sakura," he said softly. She smiled at him and he lay back down.

He drifted off to sleep and felt her brush her fingers across his cheek, murmuring a good night to him before he began to dream of her and finally began to heal.

AN: Yeah, I finished… I think... unless you guys want a sequel where Sakura is looking after Li in Li's apartment… hey, then I can throw Kero into the mixture hee hee and maybe Meilin… big maybe for her… although a probably not. Sorry if the ending is bad or corny or what ever you want to call it if it's not good in your opinion. Let me know if you guys don't like it and I'll change it for you … maybe…

See ya

Amalthea

P.S. I know, sounds stupid… but I'm working on a new one so keep your eyes open… Li acctually is in perfect health for this one… so far muwa hahaha


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